By Jamie Ruby

The comedic drama Drop Dead Diva centers around a wannabe model who died in an accident and woke up in the body of a plus-size attorney named Jane (Brook Elliott).

Recently the legendary Patty Duke guest starred on the series as Rita O'Riley, a floor-greeter at the store OneStop. She was fired after she tackled and stopped a shoplifter in the store. Things are not what they seem, however, when they realize that Rita has taken on the personality of her deceased sister.

Patty Duke is an accomplished actress, known for her work in projects such as The Miracle Worker, The Patty Duke Show, and Valley of the Dolls. She will also appear in the upcoming film Amazing Love, alongside her son, Sean Astin.

I recently was lucky enough to take part in a conference call with Ms. Duke, and I was able to ask her quite a few questions.

First I was curious about how the actress got involved in Drop Dead Diva. "In my world you never know how the hell you got a role. This one came to me as an offer which makes you feel good because you're not auditioning, and after 55 years of doing this, I'm still auditioning mostly, but I didn't have to for Diva and I'm telling you, I had a ball.

"It was like a vacation. First of all, where they shoot is glorious, but I knew that I admired Brooke Elliott - but my God, the first day, it was all I could do to concentrate on my part because she was so fascinating and she had to memorize, I don't know, it must have been 15 pages of monologue. Anyway, she's brilliant. I expect to see a lot of production done by her not necessarily of acting but producing."

Out of her many roles, Duke told me about her favorites. "It seems such an obvious answer, but it isn't. I did two series with Richard Crenna - the late Richard Crenna, I hate to say that - and I could have stayed in that place in that mode with him for the next 500 years - his work ethic, his humor and his grace. He's gone now seven years, I think, and I still miss him."

Out of theater, film, and television, Duke likes theater the best. "I find joy in some TV or movies and all that but the bottom line is theater is where I want to be most of the time."

It doesn't matter to her whether it is dramatic or comedic acting she does either. "It really doesn't matter as long as I'm invited to the party."

The actress added that there are still many people she would love to work with, but there is one series in particular that she wants to work on, and has been campaigning on Twitter for. "Truthfully, I would feel that I'd died and went to Heaven if I could get the part of Memaw on The Big Bang Theory...Just to be in the same room and watch them do what they do would be a thrill."

Even with her great experience as an actress, Duke told me that she still learned something new from working on Drop Dead Diva. "I had been going through a time where I kind of was doubting that I really could do it anymore. Part of that is because we older ladies don't get cast as often. So what I learned was something I already knew but I had allowed to get kind of hazy, and that is if I put one foot in front of the other and do my job, I can be proud of the work I do."

I also was hoping to get some advice from Duke for aspiring actors. "Definitely have a day or night job. We have to be realistic. It's very hard to be realistic when your passion is so great and you know in your heart that you can do this play or whatever. There must be some reality that says this is one of the toughest industries you can imagine and I will keep working at it but I can't put my entire self worth in it." 

Lifetime Conference Call
Drop Dead Diva
Patty Duke

June 11, 2012

SCIFI VISION: Hi, thanks so much for talking to us today. It’s an honor.

PATTY DUKE: Oh, my goodness, it’s mine. Listen. You’re responsible for dragging me into the 21st Century.

SCIFI VISION: I know obviously you didn’t tackle the thief in the episode but could you talk about how that scene was set up and filmed? 

((Crosstalk))

PATTY DUKE: ...Why do you think that might not have [done it myself]?...Well, I certainly was involved in the motivation of it.

SCIFI VISION: How did you get the role? How did that happen?

PATTY DUKE: In my world you never know how the hell you got a role. This one came to me as an offer, which makes you feel good because you’re not auditioning and after 55 years of doing this, I’m still auditioning mostly. But I didn’t have to for Diva and I’m telling you, I had a ball. It was like a vacation.

First of all, where they shoot is glorious. But I knew that I admired Brooke Elliott - but my God, the first day, it was all I could do to concentrate on my part because she was so fascinating and she had to memorize, I don’t know, must have been 15 pages of monologue. Anyway, she’s brilliant, I expect to see a lot of production done by her not necessarily of acting but producing.

QUESTION: I’m happy to see that you’re on Twitter now. I hope your campaign for being Memaw is going well.

PATTY DUKE: Oh my God, I would die to be Memaw, I would just die, and I happen to mention it on Twitter and people picked it up and they’re rolling with it. But I don’t know that the folks who do the hiring are interested.

QUESTION: Well, this is a great role that you’re, no pun intended, tackling in this episode of Drop Dead Diva so I was wondering...

PATTY DUKE: It was a hard role because I was discovering things about the role as we went along, which makes it far more interesting than to just say okay, this is what it is and that’s that and let’s just say the jokes and get out of here. It was a wonderful part. There was not a person on that set who was not gracious and kind and great senses of humor led, of course, by Brooke.

QUESTION: ...Have you ever had an experience in real life with someone who you saw shoplifting or someone that you watched be nabbed for a crime?

PATTY DUKE: Bottom line, I’m a chicken. I want to, I wanted to speak up and say oh, that person’s doing something wrong but the part of me that says “You’re 65 years old now, shut up and get out of the way,” seems to come to the fore more often.

I tell you what I - there is a serious element of this that I do do and that is anything to do with a child. If I see a little maybe 18-month-old child getting kind of rickety on their legs standing in an aisle and there’s no parent around, I just have fits. I would go over and engage the child and try to remind the parent that whatever they’re looking for isn’t nearly as precious as what they got.

QUESTION: How is [Twitter]? How are you enjoying it and how is it important to you to promote roles like Drop Dead Diva and your upcoming film project?

PATTY DUKE: Well, it’s again it’s so new to me, I’m astonished at the speed with which information is exchanged. I mean, just my husband up until the last role I guess a few days, he has been doing the - what’s it called, this is the typing part...

QUESTION: Twitter.

PATTY DUKE: ...but yes, now I’m getting a little jealous so I might just decide to take it on myself.

QUESTION: Oh, texting.

PATTY DUKE: Yes. Oh, I’m good at texting. I even do capital letters now.

QUESTION: Soon we’ll get you to smiley faces.

PATTY DUKE: Oh, yes. About five people have tried to teach me to do the smiley faces. I don’t get it. I do not see it, I can’t get it but I’m not going to give up.

QUESTION: Well, what do you think it is about Drop Dead Diva that fascinates so many viewers?

PATTY DUKE: Brooke Elliott. She is a force. She invites you into the most private part of her psyche and you feel safe there. I mean, she is so extraordinary and there are so many others on that show that are just wonderful and fun. April just kills me, but for me the anchor is Brooke.

QUESTION: We recently did an in-depth interview with William Schallert and he was reduced to tears in talking about seeing you perform on the stage in The Miracle Worker and recalling that memory.

PATTY DUKE: Oh, I love that man. He is the father I never had, you know?

QUESTION: Yes, what are your memories of working with him on The Patty Duke Show?

PATTY DUKE: Well, first of all that he’s the consummate professional and then he does a 180 and he acts like a baboon, the troops laughing and forging on. But I have been blessed with him in my life. He has been there for me at every turn, good, bad or indifferent and a matter of fact, his computer was hacked recently. And I mean to call him and suddenly I get this e-mail that his computer was hacked and well, now this is an excuse to call him. Of course he’s annoyed, but he’s remarkable.

QUESTION: What do you consider your proudest career achievement?

PATTY DUKE: Career, hmm. Well, one would expect, I guess, for me to say The Miracle Worker. I’ve had so many opportunities to ply my craft, as it were. I have roles that I get that nobody even knew about. There’s one called Birdbath that was done on public television and Leonard Malfee wrote it. Honest to God, the whole time I was rehearsing it, I didn’t know what in God’s name it was about. 

QUESTION: Can you talk about what appealed to you most in the beginning? When you first read this part, this quirky character like Rita, what drew you to her and how much fun was it?

PATTY DUKE: I tell you, I had not had that kind of fun on a set in, I don’t know, maybe 40 years. I mean, the people were so just gracious and kind, first of all, and Brooke, oh my Lord, the first day that we worked she had about six single-spaced pages to say and I was the defendant and I was sitting there on my hands doing nothing while this woman is struggling to get through six pages.

She’s brilliant. She’s very loving and, honest to God, I was just thrilled to have the opportunity. You know, at my age we don’t work all that often and I’m a workaholic so I’ve been in withdrawal for quite some time now.

QUESTION: In what ways did this lighthearted role give you something different to sink your teeth into as an actress rather than the more serious parts like The Miracle Worker?

PATTY DUKE: Well again, you now know that laughter is crucial to me. To find that line between making you believe what I’m doing and the humor is a very delicate kind of job. I find comedy much harder than drama, but I’ll do both. I needed a whole lot of energy because Brooke has so much energy.

QUESTION: Well, that’s true and you must have felt it through the room.

PATTY DUKE: Oh my God, you can’t believe it. The woman is, I would say, mystical, but she’s real.

QUESTION: Well, that’s wonderful to hear. I’m glad you enjoyed your experience.

PATTY DUKE: Oh, I had a ball. You know, it was hard for me to leave there. They were going to have to throw me out.

QUESTION: Maybe we’ll see you again then.

PATTY DUKE: Oh, then a lot of that rumor going around. I started it.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite moment on set? I’m sure there were several, but is there any that stand out in your head?

PATTY DUKE: Yes. Oddly enough, it was the scene where the focus was not on me, it was on Brooke and she had pages and pages and pages of lawyer stuff to say and sitting at the defense table I felt that I was being transported by this creature who could not only remember all the words in a row but deliver them with such energy and intelligence. You know, I fell in love with her off the bat.

QUESTION: And [in a] career as extensive as yours, is there a role that you would love to tackle one day that you have not yet portrayed?

PATTY DUKE: Yes and it’s funny you should ask. The timing is only perfect. All my life I have wanted to play Mary Lincoln. I have missed every production that was done because somebody else did it. I am now a year away or a year in the process of getting ready to play Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. First we’ll play it in the museum in Illinois and then - are you ready for this?- at the Ford Theater.

QUESTION: Oh, that’s incredible.

PATTY DUKE: Can you stand it? I can’t stand it.

QUESTION: That’s awesome, well certainly I wish you the best of luck with that.

PATTY DUKE: It’s going to be a lot of work and I hope I can be half as good as I claim I’m going to be.

SCIFI VISION: So out of everything you’ve done, what’s been your favorite?

PATTY DUKE: Oh, that’s interesting to visit. It seems such an obvious answer but it isn’t. I did two series with Richard Crenna - the late Richard Crenna, I hate to say that - and I could have stayed in that place in that mode with him for the next 500 years. His work ethic, his humor and his grace. He’s gone now seven years, I think, and I still miss him.

SCIFI VISION: Is there anyone that you’d like to work with that you haven’t yet?

PATTY DUKE: Everyone. Truthfully, I would feel that I’d died and went to heaven if I could get the part of Memaw on The Big Bang Theory.

SCIFI VISION: Hopefully you will.

PATTY DUKE: I’ve started joking about it on Twitter and now it’s become a rallying cry. Just to be in the same room and watch them do what they do would be a thrill.

QUESTION: Yes, it's a crazy and great show. Do you have any advice for people trying to get into acting?

PATTY DUKE: Oh, my God. Definitely have a day or night job. We have to be realistic. It’s very hard to be realistic when your passion is so great and you know in your heart that you can do this play or whatever. There must be some reality that says this is one of the toughest industries you can imagine and I will keep working at it but I can’t put my entire self worth in it.

QUESTION: Hello, Ms. Duke. It’s such an honor.

PATTY DUKE: She’s so sweet. I’m being honest. Well, I’ve loving just sitting, I’m sitting in my den getting all these compliments. I’m going to be impossible to get off the phone.

QUESTION: “Call Me Anna” is my favorite celebrity autobiography. It was just amazing. Thank you for sharing.

PATTY DUKE: Oh, my God, is that right? You know, it was of course a momentous time in my life and I’m now amazed that I actually did it, that I actually told my most personal insane behavior in that book. I have been rewarded for 30 years now with people saying “I was reading it and I realized oh my God, that’s what I’m doing.” Wow. It’s powerful stuff.

QUESTION: Now on to Drop Dead Diva, how much are you like Rita?

PATTY DUKE: I think there’s quite a bit. I was going to say not much at all but I just realized that yes, there’s a lot of me in Rita. I don’t know that I would be as bold as Rita under the same circumstances. I had to go way inside and find that kind of brass.

QUESTION: And what was it like - when I saw you working with Valerie Harper, to have two TV legends working together like that...

PATTY DUKE: Wasn’t that something?

QUESTION: That was amazing.

PATTY DUKE: It was such fun. You know, we were never together. She was on the bench and I was at the events table. But at the coffee table, we had a ball but I really felt the mile marker that we were at least in the same space doing what we do. She was so funny.

QUESTION: We do have to get you to be Memaw on Big Bang Theory.

PATTY DUKE: Yes, come on, enough is enough.

QUESTION: I know, your "Soft Kitty" was great.

PATTY DUKE: My granddaughter made me do that. My 11-year-old granddaughter called me up and said “Nanna, go now, use the whatever camera you’ve got and do soft kitty.” Now, the me of yesteryear would have said I’m not going to do that. That’s ridiculous. That’s so bold. I tell you within 10 minutes it was done.

QUESTION: And it came out great.

PATTY DUKE: She gave me the faith to do it.

QUESTION: You know, on that note your boys came out amazingly. I mean, you did a great job with Mackenzie and Sean.

PATTY DUKE: Did they ever. Oh no, that’s in spite of me.

QUESTION: No, it’s because of you. But what is the secret that so many Hollywood kids don’t turn out as good as your two boys?

PATTY DUKE: I’m not absolutely sure but I think that the trouble that we went through during my bipolar undiagnosed time, they opted to really step up to the plate and it was incredibly awful for them. They just had a terrible childhood and somewhere they found that to forgive is divine and that’s how they treated me. See, I’m Miss Divine. 

QUESTION: What was the most challenging part for you to play in this Drop Dead Diva role?

PATTY DUKE: It was difficult for me to make a decision to make to be like the dead sister and to show you just a little bit of the Rita that exists. But for me it was complicated partially because I played the twins so many years ago. I wanted this to be a little more realistic, I guess. The twins, they were very good at what they did but each one was one note, if you think about it. I had to take stuff away from one in order to have the other, and this time I didn’t. This time I got to walk both sides of the street.

QUESTION: You represented [twins] right in your roles. Do you still get a kick out of people who come up to you with their children and say “This is my child, we watched the film together.” You know, the film still does resonate.

PATTY DUKE: I get a kick out of it and I get a bigger kick when they sing the song and they know all the words. People come up to me in airports and ladies rooms and they’ll break into song. It’s so much fun to be part of some larger culture.

QUESTION: What were some memories you have from your childhood that still resonate with you?

PATTY DUKE: The actors who played the family members not only saved me but brought me great joy during the day when we’d work, because unfortunately it was not so swell at home. So their intelligence, their love, their caring is just emblazoned into my heart.

QUESTION: I’m on Twitter right now live Tweeting to your fans. What would you like to say to all of them?

PATTY DUKE: Send heat. I live in North Idaho and it’s all of 60 degrees today. That’s after two weeks of rain. Now whoever says they have a house for me available where it’s warm, we’re in.

SCIFI VISION: You have obviously done a lot of work before this, is there anything new that you learned about yourself after being on Drop Dead Diva?

PATTY DUKE: Yes. I had been going through a time where I kind of was doubting that I really could do it anymore. Part of that is because we older ladies don’t get cast as often, so what I learned was something I already knew but had allowed to get kind of hazy and that is if I put one foot in front of the other and do my job, I can be proud of the work I do. But there’s never enough work, you know, we’re terrible all us old ladies, we’d love to be working.

SCIFI VISION: You’ve done so many different roles. Which do you enjoy doing more, TV, movies, even theater?

PATTY DUKE: I have to tell you theater. I find joy in some TV or movies and all that but the bottom line is theater is where I want to be most of the time. And again, it’s just to (work some) cliché reasons.

SCIFI VISION: On that note, do you enjoy doing dramatic - I know you said comedy’s harder for you, but do you enjoy doing drama more than comedy or does it really not matter as long as you’re doing something that you love?

PATTY DUKE: It really doesn’t matter as long as I’m invited to the party.

QUESTION: You spoke earlier about that you learned not to put your self-worth into the industry. Can you speak more on what led you to this?

PATTY DUKE: Oh, I didn’t say I learned that. I was saying that was my advice. Oh, gee, I learned that because if I don’t get a part, I get, excuse me but pissed.

QUESTION: Aside from Drop Dead Diva and The Big Bang Theory, what other TV shows do you currently enjoy?

PATTY DUKE: Oh, Smash. I love Smash. Mostly I’m a news watcher and a public TV watcher but I like all that skullduggery they’re doing at Smash.

QUESTION: And can you envision yourself going on Smash?

PATTY DUKE: Maybe they’ll adopt me.

QUESTION: Can you envision yourself at Smash Is that something you’d like?

PATTY DUKE: Uh huh, big time.

QUESTION: Would you try out for Marilyn?

PATTY DUKE: I mean, you must get the gist. I just like to work. I don’t care where, I don’t care why. I just want to work.